“Not good enough”, fumed St George Illawarra coach Shane Flanagan after watching his team lose for a second week on the trot.
Flanagan said he was highly disappointed in the Dragons’ 25-24 loss to South Sydney Rabbitohs at WIN Stadium on Saturday.
The Red V led 14-12 at halftime before skipping to a 24-12 advantage midway through the second half before the visitors hit back with two tries to level proceedings heading into the final 10 minutes of the game.
Five minutes later, rookie South Sydney halfback Jamie Humphreys slotted a field goal from 30 metres out to secure Wayne Bennett’s chargers a second win in as many weeks.
In front of 16,111 people, the loss was St George Illawarra’s second to start the season after opening their campaign with a loss to the Canterbury Bulldogs at Kogarah.
Flanagan was at a loss to explain his team’s latest loss.
“Too many things to cover; we made too many poor decisions,” he said. “We kicked on tackle four on the sideline but didn’t kick when in good field position. And then there are some really soft tries. I think it was [Sean] Keppie who scored the dive-over from the dummy half.
“It was not good enough.
“I’m really disappointed because that’s not what this team has shown me in the trials and during pre-season training.”
The coach was incredibly disappointed because the Red V led by 12 against an understaffed Rabbitohs side but could not get the job done.
“They’re out on their feet, and we could have knocked them out when we were leading by 12,” Flanagan said. “With a bit of effort and energy, we could have done it, but we just couldn’t find it, and they found it.
“They found energy to get there and go get that field position. In the NRL just sometimes it’s just mind over matter, you just got to get there, you got to get it done. Everyone’s fatigued, everyone’s tired, but it’s the people that can go and do it once you’re into the fatigue, they’re the classy NRL players, and we just didn’t, didn’t have any of them today.
I’m really disappointed because that’s not what this team has shown me in the trials and during pre-season training.
– Shane Flanagan
“We just didn’t compete hard enough for long enough.”
St George Illawarra scored five tries to the Rabbitohs’ four, but they are now winless after two rounds.
The Dragons have the bye next week and will have to wait until a round-four clash against Melbourne Storm to try to pick up their first competition points.
Damien Cook and Lachlan Ilias played against their former club for the first time in a competitive NRL game. The duo helped the Dragons hammer Souths 46-26 in their pre-season Charity Shield clash in Mudgee last month.
But the Dragons’ other recruit, Clint Gutherson, was his team’s best, making plenty of breaks and setting up two tries.
The Rabbitohs were first to trouble the scorers after Lachlan Ilias was adjudged to have pulled back Souths fullback Jye Gray without the ball just short of the try line, with the bunker deeming it a penalty try.
Jamie Humphreys converted to give the visitors a 6-0 lead after 10 minutes.
The Dragons hit back almost immediately, with Gutherson throwing a cut-out pass for winger Tyrell Sloan to score out wide in the 12th minute. Valentine Holmes missed the conversion attempt.
Seven minutes later, Holmes was placed on report for an apparent high shot on Jai Arrow, with Arrow forced off due to HIA protocols.
From the resultant penalty, the Rabbitohs crossed for a soft try, with hooker Peter Mamouzelos diving over from dummy-half without being touched.
Humphreys kicked the goal to extend the visitors’ lead to 12-4 in the 21st minute.
But again, St George Illawarra hit back almost immediately, finding joy on the attacking right side with a slick move, seeing Gutherson find Moses Suli, who then passed for Sloan to cross for his second four-pointer in the 23rd minute.
Holmes dragged his kick at goal wide to see Souths lead 12-8.
The Dragons crossed for their third try after a nice kick by Ilias was regathered by Hamish Stewart, who threw the ball back for Kyle Flanagan to regather and score under the posts. Holmes converted for a 14-12 lead in the 32nd minute.
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